


life, love and legacy

by Abarero



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, For the Movie Speculation Zine, Ice Adolescence (Yuri!!! on Ice), M/M, Post-Series, Yuuri deserves all the golds sorry I don't make the rules, passing of the torch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 11:25:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18603574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abarero/pseuds/Abarero
Summary: He called his skate, Legacy. It’s his story, from beginning to end, and maybe because this is the end, the real end, of his career, it makes everything about it carry the weight of the memories etched into each move of the blade.(Where Victor's story on the ice ends, another legacy begins)





	life, love and legacy

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Ice Speculation Zine as a "what if" of what I'd like to see in the YOI movie.

Victor never fails to surprise Yuuri. 

 

Ever since he first saw his skating, it’s been an unending chain of surprises. 

 

And Victor’s last free skate as a competitive skater is perhaps, the most surprising of all.

 

One last season, Victor said, as a way to make peace with the past, to face the present, and to leave something for the future all out there on the ice. A surprise unlike any other that would shock every single person who saw his final free skate, Victor’s story painted across the ice with his blades.

 

He called his skate,  _ Legacy _ . It’s his story, from beginning to end, and maybe because this is the end,  _ the real end _ , of his career, it makes everything about it carry the weight of the memories etched into each move of the blade.

 

There are no words that can convey the electricity in the arena as Victor takes the ice, the palpable excitement to see this skate one last time and see what final surprise it holds in store. Yuuri finds himself seated in the competitors lounge with the other skaters currently in the top three, Yuri Plisetsky and Christophe Giacometti; and perhaps the three of them watching this skate together is a fitting send-off. Even Chris, who is currently in third and very aware that with Victor left to go he’s likely off the podium, has a childlike glow about him as he nudges Yuuri towards the ice.

 

“You should go watch it from the boards,” he murmurs low, eyeing the cameras focused on them even now. “Victor would want that.”

 

Yuuri hesitates, his mind still unable to process that any of this is happening; for after shattering his own world record two skates ago, he’s currently the one to beat. It’s surreal to him, something that even in his wildest fantasy he had hardly dared to consider; but he had worked so hard and wanted this so much. To face Victor, at Worlds, and stand beside him on the podium.

 

Right now, it is only a matter of which step on the podium he will take.

 

“Next to skate, representing Russia: Victor Nikiforov!” the announcer’s voice echoes across the arena and Yuuri finds himself on his feet, rushing to the boards before the music can begin.

 

Chris is right, Victor would want to see him watching.

 

And even though they’d practically just parted, Victor leaving a flurry of kisses to Yuuri’s face after his scores had come out in the kiss and cry, he still skates his way over to where Yuuri hovers by the boards and reaches out for him as if it has been far too long since he’s seen him last.

 

“Hey,” his voice is but a whisper, something meant only for Yuuri and not the countless cameras lingering nearby, “tell me something for good luck?”

 

Yuuri smiles at that, his heart still fluttering like the mere sight of Victor is enough to set the butterflies in his stomach flittering off leaving him with a rich warm love that somehow sets all his worries to rest.

 

Their hands drift together as natural as the tides coming in, and Yuuri presses a kiss to Victor’s ring shimmering on his finger for the whole world to see; his outfit’s only gold and the only gold he wanted it to have.

 

“Show me… a skate that you can honestly say you liked best.”

 

Victor’s eyes seem a bit misty, but Yuuri can’t tell for sure since his own are watering now too. 

 

“I promise,” he replies. “Don’t take your eyes off me.”

 

As he skates to center ice to take his starting pose, Yuuri wonders how many others can see how much of Victor’s legacy is in every little detail and part of his costume. In a rich blue, the same color as the first outfit he ever wore for a competition, there are so many little reminders of the past behind him. His juniors costumes reflected in the splash of diamonds across his right shoulder, the same diamonds that shine from the shoulder of Yuuri’s short program costume, a light blue feathery epaulet on his left shoulder from the costume Yuri now wears for Agape, and pattern down from his chest in the same design looking like bird feathers that he wore for his first senior title, in shades of teal. From his later senior years, there is the metal rings down his right arm from his first World title, little chains of silver draping down over his hips from his Olympic free skate costume, and his deep blue gloves both cut with the same asymmetrical design as his Stammi Vicino gloves were. It is his legacy, painted across his skin, for anyone who knows him to see so plainly and beautifully.

 

Every little part of this skate tells Victor’s story; and like Victor himself, Yuuri knows for certain that there is one last secret lying in store for his final performance of the program.

 

_What story will you tell us today?_ Yuuri ponders; for he’d seen this program from inception to its current form and knows there’s one last piece of the puzzle he hasn’t quite figured out yet.

 

The music starts- violin light and airy with the innocence of youth- and Victor’s expressive actions begin the story.

 

He hears a call, the ice beckons, and with naive excitement, he jumps into that other world; a crisp quad lutz-triple toe showing the joy he found skating as his blades begin their dance across the ice.

 

These early parts Yuuri has seen many times now, the one part of the program Victor hasn’t changed since that first time he showed it to Yuuri that quiet night in Hasetsu; the Ice Castle rink alive with the music that played from Victor’s movements and nothing more.

 

Next comes his upright spin combination, the layback with a catch foot bringing the blade against his scalp; the edge of pressure descending on him as he moves from juniors to seniors with so many expectations at his feet, life becoming a whirlwind.

 

The tempo picks up pace now; the violin steady but building ever faster as the story segues into Victor’s first World title; his elegant triple axel followed by a graceful triple flip.

 

Yuuri’s heart catches at that, for originally his quad flip had been here in the program, and his pulse begins to race, knowing that Victor’s surprises have already begun.

 

There’s the rise of the melody right as he lands his quad toe-triple toe; the sweeping orchestration echoing the music from his Olympic program that brought home Russia gold.

 

Victor moves into his step sequence, the sharp highs and the deep lows of the strings tugging him back and forth; the stress held behind a smile that he ends with a flying butterfly into a camel spin.

 

This spin, Christophe’s specialty, Victor had just added in at Europeans; an homage to the skater who so often wore the silver to Victor’s gold.

 

The music becomes somber, Victor gliding into a sorrowful ina bauer followed by some footwork into his triple lutz; the thrill of skating has been lost.

 

The violin is quiet now, small and searching, and the choreo sequence paints the prison Victor’s legacy had become; each new medal like a shackle pulling him further into despair.

 

Victor watches now as the world moves on without him, a quad salchow with both arms arched over his head like a tombstone; the new talent of Russia rising to bury him as he falls to his knees and the music slows to a pause.

 

Softly, gently, like that beckoning call from the ice so many, many years ago, a piano plays out; calling to him, the violin hesitantly following it once more. Victor flows into his triple axel-triple loop-double loop, now a man learning new steps to this unfamiliar piano’s melody.

 

This part Yuuri can feel in his heart, for he knows this melody; a gentle building of magic that entwines his story with Victor’s with love.

 

As the piano swells stronger, so too does the violin, the two harmonizing as Victor’s skates caress the ice with newfound love; the song now a duet that has brought Victor a new chance at life.

 

Now, the story comes to a close, and Yuuri watches with rapt attention in hopes that today he might finally understand the message Victor has woven into the finale of his program. Victor catches his eye across the ice, his hand drifting from his heart out towards Yuuri; reaching for him.

 

_ Don’t you see, Yuuri _ ? It asks him.

 

Yuuri’s eyes go wide as Victor goes into his final jump; blades singing out in a magnificent quad flip-  _ their jump _ \- to tell all the world just who Victor has chosen to carry this legacy on.

 

_ It’s yours, Yuuri. _ It says as he lands and flows into a circular spread eagle.  _ This legacy is now yours. _

 

The last change of foot sit spin culminates as the music crescendos, the melody bringing Victor and his story to its grand finale.

 

He strikes his final pose, hand over his heart, reaching out to place his hand in Yuuri’s; an echo of the ending pose to Yuuri’s own free skate.

 

Victor opens his eyes and meets Yuuri’s gaze; and its as if they’re the only two in the whole arena for this one moment in time.

 

_ My legacy ends tonight. Yuuri, your legacy begins here. _

 

There’s tears streaming down Yuuri’s face as Victor finishes his bows to a roaring crowd, and by the time he skates over to the boards, even Victor’s eyes are misty as well. He wraps Yuuri in a tight embrace.

 

“Victor... your last jump…” Yuuri’s words catch in his throat, his emotions choking him back.

 

Victor presses a kiss to his cheek and whispers low into his ear, “I’ve never skated a more difficult program, Yuuri, because you challenged me, and I wanted to give it my all.”

 

He pulls back then and gives him a soft smile.

 

“It might be a bold prediction, but I have a feeling I’m right. Your story starts now.”

 

It’s completely unheard of, but Victor takes his hand and leads him into the kiss and cry, the former world champion now sitting with his arm around the current leader as they wait.

 

When the scores flicker across the board, Yuuri stares in shock. It’s a personal best for Victor, by far the highest he’s ever scored, but by one single point, Yuuri’s score still remains on top.

 

Victor holds out a hand, tears welling over. “Congratulations, Yuuri. I can’t wait to see where your legacy goes from here.”

 

Yuuri takes the hand and pulls him into a hug, his lips pressing to Victor’s briefly before he pulls back with tears streaming down his face.

 

“At least four more, right?”

 

It was Victor’s condition for returning and still coaching him. At least five world titles.

 

“At least,” Victor replies with a brilliant smile.

 

And it’s a promise Yuuri finds himself repaying in full, and then some; if only so he could be the one to surprise Victor one last time.


End file.
